Only gonna grade them if they had a 1st round pick. Not grading if they traded out of the 1st.
SJ - A+ I would've taken Buium over Dickinson, but small gap. Celebrini best player obviously, but easy to hit on that too.
Chicago - C+ They had so much potential. Demidov>Levshunov. Boisvert and Vanacker are fine, but weren't BPA at all. After last years A+ draft, quite disappointed this time. And not just the obvious Bedard pick last year. Moore was a huge steal.
Ducks - C+ There was late buzz they'd take Sennecke, so it wasn't shocking. But yeah, that's quite too high for me. If they took Buium or Lindstrom, who they were also linked too, fine, but if you're gonna take a winger, why would it not be Demidov? Sennecke is a solid prospect, but not 3rd overall worthy. Solberg was good value. So it's a mix.
CBJ - A I mean I'd have taken Demidov, but it's an understandable pick. Lindstrom would be the next guy after Demidov for me.
Habs - A+ Going back to last, while I didn't hate them drafting Reinbacher in general, that just wasn't a high value pick at #5. This time, they absolutely got the best player. And then Hage was good value too. Essentially Habs and Chicago flip flopped this year.
Utah - C+ Iginla is good, but they really needed a top d-man. And then they added a second 1st and still didn't take a d-man. Not big on Beaudoin. Little upside.
Sens - B- They needed a RHD, but you had Parekh there. I'm not a big fan of Yakemchuk in general. Very flawed d-man. You had Buium, Dickinson, Catton.
Seattle - A+ Surprisingly didn't go for a d-man, which is their biggest need,, but pleasantly surprised they took Catton higher than I was expected. He's a top 5 player for me. So while they didn't address their big need, they got the BPA.
Calgary - C Parekh has huge upside, so can't really hate on this pick, even though I would've went Buium here. Their second 1st however was a huge reach to me.
NJ - B- I was pleasantly surprised that Silayev didn't end up being an extremely high pick. I'm not a fan of the offensive upside. He's a solid, safe player, but lacks upside. I'd still have taken him lower, but I'm glad he didn't go top 4. I will say though, he does fit well with NJ, who are full of offensive d-men and most RHD. Nemec, Hamilton, Casey, then Hughes on the left. Their defense is scarily solidified. Not the BPA or even best d-man, but is a good fit for NJ. But not the player of my liking and lacking in upside and value.
Minnesota - A+ When they traded up just 1 spot, I thought it had to be Buium finally. It wouldn't have made sense otherwise. 1 of the steals of the draft. He legit might be the best d-man in the class.
Philly - B- Luchanko was a little high for me, but I can see it. I could see his potential grow. They didn't really need a d-man and their biggest need was a Center. I would've went Helenius for a Center and I'd have taken Eiserman over Luchanko too, but it addressed their biggest need and a decent pick that could age better.
Buffalo - B+ I do like Helenius quite a bit. Buffalo's biggest need was a RHD. I would've went Jiricek here, who I like more than most and would've fit their need. Eiserman, I also valued a little more than Helenius. So while it was pretty good value, it didn't address a need at all and feels like they got more of what they already have.
Detroit - B Similar to Buffalo, this feels very, this type of pick, again? Pretty good value. I don't think Detroit's roster/pipeline is as stocked as Buffalo, so this isnt as unnecessary. I just think Detroit should swing on higher upside. I would've taken Eiserman for sure here.
Blues - A - As noted earlier, I rank Jiricek higher than others, so this was a good value pick, that aso addressed a need. I would consider Eiserman the BPA and has higher upside, but this was pretty much a perfect pick for them at this spot.
Caps - B it's a bit high for me. Again, how do you not just go Eiserman here? Both scoring wingers. This is a very boom or bust pick overall. I think many years from now, we either see Parascak much higher in a hypothetical re-draft or he doesn't have a NHL career and his stock plummets. It's a pick I can see going either way, easily.
VGK - A- Again, I go Eiserman, but Connelly is a big swing. Certainly risk, but you get amongst the highest of upsides here if he hits.
NYI - A+ they were 1 of the least likely teams that I would've thought would swing on Eiserman. So pleasantly surprised by them. Sure, there's a chance he busts, but the value at this pick is great.
Preds - B He wasn't my BPA or even the best Russian, so it's a bit surprising. But I think it's a solid pick.
Boston - C Letourneau isn't someone I'd take in the 1st round and so there were many players I'd take instead. I could see this pick aging better, but I could also just see him not panning out at all. I can see it, but not at this spot. Not the value I want.
LA - A+ Greentree was my BPA. Even though it doesn't address a need, it's the best value. I figured Greentree would fall some cause of his skating, but a lot of upside to him and I don't think he's too likely to bust either.
Dallas - B Hemming is solid, but liked a few players more. Can't hate on it.
NYR - A- Not quite my BPA, but a very solid pick.
Leafs - D Either the 1st or 2nd most puzzling pick in the whole draft. A player I ranked a lot lower than this. I thought Cowan was the worst pick last year and he had a good season, though I still don't see a star player there. Maybe Danford has the same kind of development, but as of now, I gotta say this was a strange pick. If you wanted a RHD, you go Elick or Badinka here.
Oilers - B Wasn't my BPA, but a fine pick.
